After Trump won in 2016, and treated the press like parasites, some of the media engaged in a self-reflective bit of crap where they wondered if they had been unfair in their ample free coverage of every Trump musing while lambasting his opponents over trivia, and so perhaps enabled Trump to win.
Biden looked old during the debate, especially when Trump was speaking. But his answers were largely better than Trump’s if you compared the two written transcripts.
The press has been attacking Biden, who did slightly shock, and who lost maybe 3% since the debate despite ample coverage. But what has the media learned, apart from its disingenuous reflection. Is it holding Trump to the same standard? Where are the articles about his claims about being in touch with Pelosi on the 6th or dozens of other fictions? Is this more important than a verbal gaffe and looking tired? (See that 6 of the top 7 Atlantic articles now are about Biden, with one article complaining about Trump’s epithets, perhaps for balance. They said almost nothing even when Trump would not answer a yes/no question accepting the election outcome.)
But these impressions matter. This will influence the people who wonder if Biden can perform well through to 2028, while asking no questions about Trump being a dictator or having many of the same issues with age. Again the press holds Trump to a lesser standard. Since what do you expect? If you offend Biden there are fewer consequences. And it is still a republic. If you can keep it.
This guy thinks that a Harris-Whitmer ticket is a winner:
I really like Joe Biden and respect him as a skilled politician and a man of great integrity, but the more I see of him lately the more I despair of him as a viable candidate. It’s not his age per se that is the problem; that’s just a number, a mere abstraction. It’s his very obvious frailty.
He tried to make the case on the ABC interview that America faces great challenges in the next four years, and who is going to deal with them if not him? As brutal as this may sound, the problem was that I could barely hear him and frankly he looked like he might keel over at any moment. Sadly, it looks like the debate performance wasn’t an anomaly. This is not the Joe Biden who ran four years ago. It’s not even the Joe Biden at the last SoTU. This is a Joe Biden on life support.
Have seen parts of the interview and overall it seems a pretty mediocre effort, not bad enough to tank his candidacy quickly but not good enough to spark some kind of recovery. The basic problem was that he just looked and sounded old and weak which is not surprising because of course he is in fact really old…I wonder if his team can find a speech therapist who can make him just sound louder and more forceful.
I am still unsure how his candidacy will go. Media pressure is unrelenting but so far there isn’t a cascade of elected officials calling for him to resign. His polls are poor but not yet catastrophic. It’s possible the electeds are willing to give him another week or so, see how polls go and whether he is able to stage effective events. There is still a long time for the convention.
Tactically it might also make sense to wait till after the Republican convention before Biden drops out especially if they spend all their energy attacking him.
Before this comment the only consideration to timing I’ve heard is the harm of “dithering” vs the harm of rushing on the please step down now train. But the tactical bits are very interesting to consider.
After all assuming a rallying behind Harris, she will not be the nominee until the Democratic convention declares her so on ?August 22nd? Meanwhile the GOP convention is a week and a half away.
I can make up stories for pros and cons of every possible timing but I have no idea which story to believe.
I really now do believe that story line of Biden coming around to realizing that the American people are due for, hungry for, moving on already, is the winning one, the one that will engage the unengaged voters to vote for that. Harris plays it as standing on the shoulders of giants.
I haven’t read this whole thread, but I saw the interview with Stephanopoulos last night and had to say what I think about it.
Biden is surrounded with people who are enabling his delusions.
He’s in denial about what the polls are saying.
He’s in denial about what people are saying (Democratic congresspeople, regular people, other analysts)
I believe he actually lied when he said he hasn’t taken a neurological/cognitive test. Actually he said he in effect takes a test every day by getting up in the morning. But he’s denying that he’s seen a neurologist. He’s president of the US for og’s sake, of course he must have been evaluated by a neurologist.
When he said he didn’t watch a tape of the debate (or didn’t remember), he was either lying, or if he actually didn’t watch it then he’s abdicating his responsibility.
The “Lord Almighty” comments made me sick.
All the delusion stuff is bad enough. But actual lying makes me very, very angry. Not just afraid but angry at him personally.
I don’t get why you grant the possibility of him lying for #5 and #4, but not for #3 or #2 or #1. Like, if you already believe that he’s lying about the test, why not at least consider the idea that he (a) knows full well what the polls are saying, in part because he’s surrounded by people who mention it; but (b) he figured, well, I could mildly agree, on national television, that I’m behind in the polls; but why not instead try to project a little confidence and savviness while relaying that well-conducted polls reflect a tossup?
Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of “The Source” on WURD in Philadelphia, said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of the interview on Wednesday.
“The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,” she told Victor Blackwell, the host of “First of All” on CNN. Asked if it was the White House that sent the questions to her in advance, she said it was.
I think that his handlers talked him out of watching the debate. Feeding him what he wanted to hear instead of what he needed to hear.
It looks inevitable, baring some new major develpment, that the Democtratic Party will lose the White House this election. And not just for one more Trump term, but for the next 12 years if Trump is followed by a strong successor.
It most certainly wont be two women. Unless - unlikely as it might be- Harris and Obama.
Here are some recent polling, and Biden is not doing too badly-
Harris & Newsome do best, except Michelle Obama.
I just posted polls- Biden is not doing badly at all. I have no doubt he is kept apprised. Note the July1-2 Ipsos poll with Biden being even with trump
Yeah- a couple minor House members. By no means any significant amount, and the Dem Governors backed him 100%.
Except… People are not necessarily that old in their 80s.
My Daddy was vibrate, sharp and took dance classes and danced at a dancehall every week. He gardened, he ran his rental properties and went to the track. Cooked and cleaned for himself.
He was 86 when he died suddenly.
That’s how I want to think of Joe. He gets up, works hard at being the Prez.
Has pleasant times with Jill and his dog. Deals with his staff. Occasionally has the grandkids. Does his traveling and outings.
It’s not uncommon at all for the White House to send suggested questions and topics to a press interviewer beforehand – it’s the Press Secretary’s job to try to get media to raise topics that the Administration would prefer to address. It would be troublesome if the White House conditioned the interview on the President being asked those and only those specific questions. And there’s no indication such is the case here.
Since the polls show him running pretty much even with trump- and no other real candidate does as well- the answer is Biden or trump. Harris could win.
If you offend Biden there are fewer consequences. And it is still a republic. If you can keep it.